In a statement released to the Irish Examiner this evening, the New York Times has apologised for any offence caused by an article which linked the tragic deaths of Irish students in Berkeley CA to drinking and partying.
According to NYT vice president of corporate communications, Eileen Murphy, the heavily-criticised article was a second-day story following yesterday's news report of the incident.
It was intended to explain in greater detail why these young Irish students were in the US,
Murphy, said.
We understand and agree that some of the language in the piece could be interpreted as insensitive, particularly in such close proximity to this tragedy.
It was never our intention to blame the victims and we apologize if the piece left that impression. We will continue to cover this story and report on the young people who lost their lives.
The apology comes after heavy criticism from this side of the Atlantic, which the publication became aware of as New York began to wake up this morning.
Earlier today, Irish Equality Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin labelled the Times coverage of the freak accident "a disgrace."
.@nytimes Your newspaper's reporting of the #Berkeley tragedy is a disgrace.
— Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD (@AodhanORiordain) June 17, 2015
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